Battle of the Shakespearean
by kinnykat3
Summary: Jason Grace has been in love with Piper McLean for six years. Too shy to admit it, he now has a girlfriend, is on the varsity football team, and is very popular. He's still determined to win Piper over, even more driven by the fact that she already has a boyfriend. However, a new play in Drama and a poster for a Battle of the Bands is about to change a few things.
1. Romeo

I knew for sure I was in love with Piper McLean when I first heard her singing. I was maybe nine years old, naive as ever, sitting on the jungle gym on the fourth grade playground. It was a nice day; a few clouds here and there, but the sky was a beautiful blue color. There was a slight breeze that I could feel in my hair that day. I was lost in thought again, just daydreaming and listening to the wind, when, all of a sudden, my little ears picked up soft notes drifting with the breezes. As I turned around slowly, still seated on the edge of the play structure, I saw little Piper McLean sitting under the slide, her dark brown hair parted into two braids. She was singing to herself, staring off into the distance somewhere; her kaleidoscope eyes lost in the scenery. My heart nearly stopped, and from that day forward I was completely and utterly in love.

Skip ahead about six years, and I'm in high school. My name is Jason Grace; receiver on the varsity football team and lead guitarist in my band. I have a wonderful girlfriend named Reyna and decent grades. I lead a pretty normal life, except for the fact that I'm in love with someone who will never love me back. But, then again, that does happen to a lot of people.

Her name's Piper McLean, of course. Daughter of the famous actor. She's always been pretty quiet and shy, but somewhere around the end of eighth grade, she lapsed into her own phase. She started surrounding herself with her band members and new friends. She became popular in her own way, just as I had become popular in my own way. I was completely fine with her changes, because she was, after all, the same girl I had been in love with for over six years.

…

"Get up, you loser!" Thalia, my older sister, slams the door behind her as she leaves my room, and I jump. Freaking sisters. I look frantically at my alarm clock, and then relax when I realize I have time to spare. Stupid thing must not have gone off. I quickly jump out of bed and throw on some jeans and a purple t-shirt, scurrying out the door and down the hallway in my socks. Thalia's already eating breakfast when I plop down next to her. I pour myself some cereal.

"We're going to be late," Thalia mutters. She picks up her dishes and dumps them into the sink. A spray of water leaps up from the clutter of dishes, landing on her black crop top. "Crap." She brushes it off quickly, her dozens of bracelets jingling noisily. "Come on, hurry up!" I scarf down my remaining breakfast and sprint to the door, grabbing my beaten converse and my backpack. Thalia follows closely behind me, grabbing her own backpack.

It's cloudy and gray outside and I can smell rain. I pull on my converse and sprint down the street to the bus stop, the cold wind whipping at my hair. Somebody is already standing next to the stop sign, and as I grow nearer, I realize it's Reyna.

"Hey," she greets me as I screech to a halt at the sign. She leans over and kisses me on the cheek. Thalia gags behind me, and I roll my eyes. "Monday," Reyna adds, and I nod.

"Yeah," is all I say in reply as the bus pulls up in front of us with a screech. Reyna gets on first and I follow, my eyes trained on the long, single dark braid in front of my eyes.

We find a seat near the back of the bus where the noise levels reach nearly unbearable. As soon as we sit down, Reyna whips out her phone and begins texting furiously. I sigh and hold my backpack to my chest, looking out the window. It's so pale and gray outside that I can see my reflection staring right back at me. Blue eyes search mine, and blond, wind-tousled hair rustles in synch with my own. I sigh again and turn back to face the front of the bus, watching the cars that pass our vehicle. My eyelids start to flutter as I begin to relax with the hum of the engine, but I'm shocked out of my daydream as soon as I start to drift away.

"Jason! My man!" a voice shouts from somewhere off to my right. Smiling, I shift so I can see my friend. The laughing face of Leo Valdez grins right back at me, and I reach across Reyna's lap so I can fist-bump him. "Dude," Leo starts, and I nod. "That world history test is today. I'm going to fail!" He bursts out laughing, and I smile.

"Yeah, you are." Leo has never been the type to study, or even read, as a matter of fact. He's always had a hard time with his school work and making friends because of his antisocial appearance. He's always locked up somewhere working on a tinkering project, and he never lets anyone see them. I know he's so obsessed because his dad was a blacksmith and an artisan in tinkering before he died, so I don't mind his behavior.

"There are soccer tryouts today, too," Leo calls across the aisle to me. I groan.

"I forgot my stuff. It seems like everything is today and I've forgotten all about it!" My soccer gear is at home, and I know it's far too late to go back when our bus begins to pull into Jefferson High. Leo shoots me a sympathetic look.

"Ask Coach. He always has extra gear," Leo suggests, and I nod, a little relieved.

"Yeah. I'll do that." The bus screeches to a noisy halt in front of the main assembly building. We all shove our way off the bus and make our way to the huge white double doors of the school. Reyna finds me in the crowd and grabs my hand, intertwining our fingers as we make our way up the steps of Jefferson High.

The main hall is warm and familiarly filled with the endless chatter of students and the slamming of lockers. I part with Reyna and amble off to my own locker, which is about halfway down the hall. As I spin my combination into the lock, I look up at a bright green poster that's been pasted on the locker next to mine. It reads, _Battle of the Bands_ in huge block leaders. I smile inwardly. I'll keep that event in mind when I go to band practice after school. As I grab my books and binders for first period, I also rip the poster off of my neighbor's locker and stuff it into the front pocket of my backpack. I quickly slam my locker shut and head to my Language Arts and Drama class.

Nearly everyone has filed into the room and are sitting on tables, talking and laughing before the bell rings. I find myself a seat near the back of the room and strike up a conversation with my best friend Percy, who's looking pretty tousled today. He's telling a ridiculous story about his early morning fishing trip with his stepdad Paul before school.

"Yeah, I had a run-in with a lake," Percy laughs.

"Dude, you have a run-in with everything!" I chuckle. I open my mouth to state the fact that his girlfriend Annabeth is going to kill him for not looking tidy _again_, when I'm suddenly silenced by a tall, lithe figure walking through the doorway of the classroom. It's Piper, of course, her layered and choppy hair falling over her shoulders and down her back. She's wearing a gray tank top and a red flannel with jeans and a pair of worn-out black boots. She has never been one to seek any sort of attention, but as she passes through the aisle closest to Percy, every single boy turns to look at her. Connor Stoll even shoves his brother Travis out of his desk and motions for Piper to sit down. But Piper just smiles at Connor, who blushes, and helps Travis back up, who's blushing even more furiously. She crosses the aisle to sit in front of Percy, and turns to smile at him.

"Hey," she says, and Percy nods. They've been close friends since they were really little; about four years old.

"I heard we're hosting the high school play," Percy mutters to Piper. Her eyes widen.

"What? Really? Oh, because we're the _Drama_ portion of the Language Arts classes again?" she asks. Percy nods, and she rolls her eyes. "Oh, god. Please don't tell me it's Shakespeare." Percy doesn't say anything. Piper's eyes widen (in the most beautiful way). "_Percy!" _she warns. In reply, he mutters something inaudible from where I'm sitting (and totally not eavesdropping). I look down at my paper and hear Piper's annoyed groan in reply to Percy's remark. It must be pretty bad for Piper to be complaining.

The bell suddenly rings noisily and Mr. Hark, our teacher, stands and makes his way over to the whiteboard in front of the classroom. He pulls out an Expo and begins to write in blue ink. When he's finished, he stands back and lets us read it. _Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet_, is written in huge letters. I stifle a groan as my classmates don't do the same. The classroom is filled with disappointed murmurs, but Mr. Hark silences us and picks up an upturned hat off of his desk.

"The play we will be re-enacting is _Romeo and Juliet._ Last year, we put on _Hamlet_, which, as you may remember, was nearly a disaster. This year, we will be more prepared because we will be starting our practice _before_ Christmas break. It's only October, so we will have a long time to rehearse before our performance in February. Now, we will do what we did last year to choose parts because all of you are equally talented." He shakes the top hat in his hand and continues. "When I come up to your desk, you are to pull out one slip of paper. On it is your designated part. There will be no trading." He walks up to the first person, Drew Tanaka, who pulls out her slip of paper with confidence. Everyone knows she wants to be Juliet, but, judging by her face as she unfolds and reads the slip of paper, she didn't choose the right part.

"I'm _Mercutio!_ That's, like, the stupidest part. And, I'm a _guy!" _Mr. Hark ignores Drew's screeching and makes his way down the aisle. Once he reaches the end, he turns to Percy, the last seat in the row next to me, and holds out the top hat. Percy draws a slip warily, and then reads it. He turns to me.

"Aw, sweet! I'm Benvolio!" he says with a smile. Piper turns to him as she reaches into the hat.

"He dies," she states with a laugh, and Percy shrinks back into his seat.

"Aw, dang it." Piper laughs again as she pulls out her slip of paper. She reads it, her expression slowly changing until her face emulates one of absolute disgust. She slams her head down on the table, covering her face with her arms. Percy leans over to talk to her.

"Bad part?" he asks sympathetically. Piper nods, her face still glued to her desktop. Mr. Hark arrives at my desk a few moments later, and I draw a slip of paper from the hat. I unfold it carefully and read it. It takes me a few moments to register that _Romeo_ is scrawled on the tiny piece of paper. When I finally do comprehend, I turn to Percy.

"Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" I ask him. He snorts.

"I don't know, man." Piper lifts her head to read my paper. My arm stiffens as her eyes flicker across the paper. She laughs bitterly and raises her paper as well, her chuckles morphing into an exasperated sigh.

"Hey, partner," she says with a weak smile. Her slip reads _Juliet. _I nearly fall over right there.


	2. Paramour

**A/N: As you may know, this is a Jiper/Jasper story with some Percabeth, of course! I hope you enjoy! This is only the beginning, as there is much, much more to come! Reviews are also appreciated! Thank you!**

Percy looks back and forth between our slips of paper and snorts rather loudly.

"Oh, my god. You guys have to _kiss!_" Piper immediately blushes furiously and stuffs her slip of paper into her backpack. I feel my face reddening and I rip up my slip, shoving the pieces into my pocket. Percy continues to laugh hysterically, but I slug him when Piper's not looking.

"Shut up!" I scowl at him, but he just makes kissing noises instead of falling silent. I sigh in exasperation and turn back to the front of the room, the image of me kissing Piper ingrained into my brain. _Stop it,_ I tell myself, but it's no use.

Mr. Hark returns to the front of the classroom and sets the top hat back down with a smile.

"I hope you all love your parts!" he chimes. _Thank you, Mr. Hark, bless you and your top hat and your play and this class._ "Now, I have the scripts here. Tomorrow we will be practicing individual scenes. I'll pass these out now." With some difficulty, Mr. Hark lifts a huge pile of paper from his desk and drops one down on Drew's desk. It lands with a huge _slam_, and Drew shrieks. Mr. Hark continues to drop the scripts onto each desk, each student picking them up and examining the impossibly thickness of the packets incredulously. When he drops my script on my desk, I open it up. The font is pretty small, and there's a lot of lines per page. Piper does the same, immediately turning to find a page with her lines on it. I open mine, too.

The first lines I see that are mine about halfway through the packet are about pilgrims. Not a great start. Piper's a little ways further into the script when I look up at her. Her eyebrows are furrowed in concentration, and her hair falls over her shoulders and around her papers.

"A-ha!" Percy yelps triumphantly from beside me. I look up in surprise. "Benvolio doesn't die! _Mercutio _does!" He elbows Piper, who just smiles in reply. From the front of the room, there's a string off curses followed by a, "Oh, so, I _die_, too!" I just shake my head with a small grin and return to my script. Percy continues to chuckle and mutter every once in a while that he lives and _Mercutio_ dies.

The bell rings suddenly, and the whole class gathers up their things. I have a hard time trying to stuff the huge script into my backpack and when I do, Percy's the only one left in the classroom.

"What do we have next period?" I ask him as we hurry out the door.

"World History," he groans, and I sigh as I realize that I didn't study at all.

…

Lunch arrives quickly, to my relief. I pay for my food and sit down at my lunch table. Percy plops down next to me with his full tray and immediately starts wolfing down his sandwich. Our friend Frank also seats himself across from us next to Leo. With my whole band seated at our table, I reach down for my backpack. I rip out the poster for the Battle of the Bands and slide it across to Frank. He and Leo inspect it, and smiles slowly grow on their faces. Percy, his mouth stuffed with sandwich, snatches the poster from Frank's hands and reads it himself. He smiles, too.

"Great thinking," Leo remarks. "We can totally win. I know that the only other bands that would even think of competing aren't even that great." Frank nods in approval. Percy forces down his sandwich and turns to Leo inquisitively.

"What are the other bands?" he asks. Leo leans in.

"That really terrible one that Connor formed, like, a month ago. They're called "The 'Stoll'en". They suck." Percy nods, and Leo continues. "Katie formed one, too, and they're okay. They play really slow ballads, though, and an overload of Adele songs." Percy snorts. Leo falls silent for a few moments, thinking. "There's another, I think, formed by Rachel, but it might just consist of a few members. Last I heard, two of the bandies got into a huge fight and now it's just sort of broken up." Leo's brow furrows. "There's one more… Your sister's, right?" He nods to me, and I nearly choke on my juice.

"What? Yeah, she has one. I kind of forgot who's in it. I never really payed any attention," I inform him, but his face suddenly lights up.

"Oh, right! They're that 'Unwritten Landscape' band?" asks Leo. Frank nods.

"Whoa, that's a deep name," Percy remarks through his water bottle. Frank nods again. "Who's in it?"

"Thalia," I say. "Annabeth… I forget the rest."

"Thalia, Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel," Frank says quietly. This time, I actually do choke on my drink.

"We're so screwed," I wheeze out as Percy slaps my back.

"What? Why?" asks Leo, puzzled. I cough before I reply.

"I've heard their recordings. I didn't know it was them, but now I recognize the singer's voice. They're really, _really_ good. Like, I thought they were one of the bands that Thalia liked to listen to," I inform them. Leo pales.

"Well, at least we have some real competition," Percy mutters through a mouthful of potato chips. I nod, my heart fluttering at the thought of competing against Piper. She was the lead singer, of course, and she was _really good._ Maybe I could tag along to one of their rehearsals…

"Band practice after tryouts, right?" Leo asks, shaking me out of my daydream.

"Yeah. My place," I reply, gathering up my trash. I still hadn't asked if Thalia was using our spacious garage today, so I amble over to talk to her. When I arrive at her table, Annabeth and Piper look up and wave. I blush and wave back, my gesture aimed specifically at Piper.

"Thalia?" I start, directing my attention to my sister. She looks up at me with her electric blue eyes.

"What?" she asks. She doesn't sound amused.

"Um… My band is using the garage today," I inform her with some confidence. Thalia shakes her head, her earrings jangling in time with her jagged black hair.

"Oh, no, you little snot. We agreed last week that my band could use it _this_ week!" Her eyes burn into the back of my skull, and I can almost feel the electricity in her glare.

"We don't have anywhere else to go!" I plead, but she just narrows her eyes at me. "Can we just, like, trade off?" I ask her, and she finally gives in.

"Alright. We'll give you, like, forty-five minutes to practice. But after that, it's _our_ turn."

"Thanks!" I say quickly, and turn on my heels to join Percy, who's waiting by the cafeteria doors.

"Jason!" Thalia calls, and I turn around. "We're going to own you in the Battle of the Bands." With that remark, she turns back and starts chatting amiably with Piper. I feel some of my confidence drain away. Percy notices and asks what's wrong.

"They're going to be committed to kicking our butts, man." I shudder.

"If they're as good as you say they are, that's definitely not a good thing," Percy remarks as we push open the cafeteria's double doors.

…

After school, I make my way down towards the soccer fields, my borrowed gear in tow. As I turn a corner behind the soccer stands, I see Leo. He waves me over, and I begin to jog, looking back at the stands. It's getting colder out, and my breath starts to float out as clouds of frost. Once I join Leo, I sit down facing the stands to pull on my gear. As I'm tightening my laces, two pairs of shoes enter my line of vision. One is a pair of well-used soccer shoes, and the other is a pair of worn-out black boots which I recognize immediately. I finish tying my shoes and straighten to see Piper and her boyfriend Darren, a new student from England, standing facing each other not more than ten feet away.

"Good luck," Piper tells Darren with a smile. He smiles and thanks her by pulling her in for a kiss. I cringe and look away, focusing on Leo, who's still pulling on his shinguards. I look back and Piper's smiling again, tousling Darren's dark hair. His blue eyes are soft as he speaks to her, and he pulls her into an embrace quickly before Piper turns on her heels.

"I'll see you after tryouts!" Piper informs him with a small smile. She jogs off back to the girls' locker room, her dark hair swinging in time with her steps. Darren joins me and Leo as we head for the field.

"Man, it's cold out!" Darren remarks with his strong British accent. I want to punch his face in.

"Sure is," I reply tightly, reminding myself that if I tackled Darren right there, I would probably be banned from tryouts. Leo just grunts, his face half hidden in his warm-up sweatshirt.

Once we reach the field, Coach Hedge, the boys' soccer team coach, begins yelling at us right away.

"This isn't child's play, cupcakes. As you may know, the Jefferson High Thunder boys' soccer team has not won a championship game since '88. My previous teams have failed me. This year, we will have ourselves a championship win, and we're going to start off strong. Ten laps for warm-up!" he roars suddenly, and we all cringe. "Go on! Due to a lack of extra players, I have to accept each and every one of you who is trying out for this team, but that doesn't mean I can't bench you due to lack of effort! Go!" I definitely did not want to be benched this season, so I sprint towards the opposite end of the field with the rest of the team in tow.

Coach Hedge nearly beats us senseless with fitness and drills, and by the end of practice, I'm sore and tired and not in the greatest mood.

"Band practice?" Leo groans, walking off the field with me. It's nearly dark and it's colder than ever.

"Yeah," I reply with a shiver. "Band practice." We walk to Leo's mom's minivan parked by the field and file into the warm vehicle. Mrs. Valdez turns to say hello, adjusting the stained baseball cap on her full head of curly hair.

"Band practice, boys?" she asks amiably. The key turns in the engine and the van pulls away from the curb.

"Yeah, mom. Jason's house," Leo tells her. She nods with a small smile and adjusts her driver's mirror.

By the time we get to my house, there are multi-colored lights flickering in the garage. I thank Mrs. Valdez for the ride, and Leo and I make our way to the garage door. I can hear loud, pulsing music through the walls. _What's going on? _I punch in the code to open the door, and it lifts with a series of creaks that are barely audible over the sound of music that comes flooding out. Inside, a boom box is blaring Green Day, and the members of Unwritten Landscape are scattered throughout the room, drinking from plastic cups and laughing. I storm over to the boom box and click the music off. The girls immediately fall silent.

"What the _hell_?" I shriek, much louder than I mean to be. Thalia stands quickly from her seat on the couch, storming over to me.

"What is your problem?" she shoots back, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"My band gets to practice first, and I come home to this? It's a mess! Where are Percy and Frank? They should be in here!" I cry out, waving my arms in exasperation.

"They're in the living room," Thalia says icily. "We'll clean up. We were just waiting for you. You're in a bad mood. Just relax." I sigh and run a hand through my blond hair.

"Yeah, I am. Sorry," I sigh again. Leo runs through the door leading to the house to grab Percy and Frank. The girls begin to pick up their things while Thalia shoots me daggers. Percy and Frank finally stumble in through the door with Leo at their heels.

"Sorry, man," Percy mutters to me as he draws closer. "They overran us and took over the garage. We had to resort to Monopoly in the living room." He shudders.

Once the garage has been cleared out, I punch the button to close the garage door and we begin to set up our instruments. Leo pulls the drums closer together while Frank hooks up his bass guitar. I grab my own guitar from its place on the wall while Percy finds the microphone stand. I plug in my Coronado, a present I received from my Aunt Juno for my fourteenth birthday, and turn the knobs on my amplifier. I strum a few chords to make sure the volume and distortion are alright.

"Checking… Checking…" Percy taps the microphone and adjusts its amplifier until it's at the appropriate volume level. "Okay. We're Controlled Isolation—!"

"Hey! No!" Leo yelps from his drum set. "Those are my lines!" Percy rolls his eyes but keeps quiet. "Which song are we playing?"

"Why don't we do the one we have down?" Frank pipes up. I shrug and Leo nods enthusiastically.

"We're Controlled Isolation! One, two, one, two, three, four!" Leo finishes counting down and I begin to pick the first lines of a White Stripes song.

…

When our forty-five minutes are up and Thalia's stern figure has reappeared in the doorway of the garage, we unplug our amps and pack our instruments away, fist bumping and exchanging opinions.

"You're going down," Leo says as he pokes Thalia's shoulder as he passes her on his way into the house. Thalia just laughs evilly.

"Oh, no. You'll be the ones going down. You wanna go, punk?" She jumps towards Leo, who flinches.

"No, I think I'm fine," he squeaks, shuffling past her and into the house. She smiles.

"Girls, it's our turn," she yells over her shoulder. Piper, Annabeth, and Hazel appear with their instruments and equipment, brushing past me, as I'm the last to file into the house. When Piper's shoulder bumps mine, I can feel myself blush. As I close the door behind Thalia, I wait a little to hear them play. It doesn't take long before they have their instruments set up. I hear Annabeth plucking at her bass and Thalia adjusting the volume controls for her guitar. Piper mutters something incoherent into the microphone that makes the girls all laugh. I wish I could hear it. Hazel counts down and, suddenly, there's a blast of music. Piper starts to sing almost immediately, and I'm filled with the urge to see her singing and standing there with all the confidence she never shows at school; the confidence she never shows anyone but her closest friends. I know the song is by Paramore. It's one of Piper's favorite bands; this information is easily drawn from the fact that she wears some of their band bracelets to school every day.

I finally turn away from the door to Percy, who's sitting at the kitchen counter.

"Damn," he remarks quietly. "They're good." I nod in silent agreement and seat myself across from him.

"We have some real competition," I say, staring down at the swirled marble countertop. Percy grunts in reply.

"First time," he says with a small smile. His sea green eyes are thoughtful as he runs a hand through his tousled black hair. "We have to win this. Annabeth will never let me hear the last of it if we lose. Especially since we've had this band longer than they have had theirs." I nod as well. "She's beautiful, you know. And kind. I can see why you like her," he says suddenly. I straighten immediately, staring at Percy with a look of what I know consists of surprise, confusion, and hesitancy.

"_Annabeth?_" I ask incredulously. Percy snorts, slapping a hand to his forehead.

"Oh, god, no, sorry. Piper! But don't tell Annabeth I said any of that. She knows you like her, too. She'll kill me if she knew I told you that I knew!" I just stare at him.

"How did you know? When?" I'm almost completely at a loss for words.

"Oh, I figured it out," Percy states proudly. I shoot him another look. "Fine. Annabeth figured it out and told me. Just keep quiet. I won't say a word. I promise." I sigh with relief and smile.

"Thanks. I would die if she found out. It'd be weird for more people to know that I have a crush on her… That's, like, the least manliest thing anyone can say." Percy snorts in reply.

"Good luck," he says quietly. I look up at him.

"What?" I ask.

"I said, 'Good luck.' You're going to need it to get through tomorrow without fainting." He bursts out laughing as I reach across and punch him on the arm. "Ow!"

"You deserved that."

"Yeah, I did. Can't wait for the kissing— Ow!"


	3. Learning & Rehearsals

"Okay, class! I have an announcement." Mr. Hark smiles widely at us. "Our performance is going to be after the Winter Ball. Unfortunately, that 's also a bad thing for a few of our students because they may be too tired or unwilling to perform. However, it is completely your choice to attend the ball! Today we will be practicing our individual scenes, as follows: Act II, Scene I, Act I, Scene V, and Act I, Scene III. Piper, because you're in two scenes today, you can start off with Scene III. Everybody: find your partners and start acting!"

I immediately grab my script and begin flipping through to find which act I'm in. I'm in Act II, Scene I with Percy and Drew, so I grab the both of them to practice. Percy looks eagerly at his script and strikes a pose when I speak.

"Can I go forward when my heart is here? Turn back, dull earth, and find thy centre out," I recite, reading from the script.

"Romeo! My cousin Romeo!" Percy is so enthusiastic that I can't help but laugh. Next is Drew's line. After a few moments, we turn to look at her. She has a look of utter disgust on her face, one hand on her hip.

"He is wise—," helps Percy, trying to start her off.

"I know what my line is, seaweed brain!" Drew shrieks, pointing at her script violently. "I don't want to be here and I don't want to do this! I'm a _man,_ for god's sake! A _freaking man."_

"I don't see a problem," I say. I'm sick and tired of her attitude and wish she would just shut up and follow the script. Drew slowly turns to look at me incredulously.

"Wha— I just—," she stammers.

"What's going on here?" asks Mr. Hark, walking up behind Drew. Drew stiffens and raises her script slowly. "Am I going to have to send a bad report home, Drew?" He shoots her a knowing look.

"No, Mr. Hark," Drew replies quietly. He nods.

"Back to work, then." Percy looks at me with wide eyes.

"What was that about?" he mouths. I shake my head. Drew suddenly recites her lines, her eyes glued to her paper. Percy recites his lines, Drew returning with her large chunk of dialogue very quietly. It continues like this for the rest of the scene, and when we're through, Percy walks over to me.

"That took way more effort than it should have," he groans

.

"Yeah," I agree. I leave Percy and walk over to the other side of the classroom, ready to perform for my next scene. The other actors are already leaning against the whiteboard, looking at Mr. Hark for directions.

"Okay, this is the party scene," Mr. Hark instructs us. "Jason, you need to stand by the side and look at Piper once the Capulets and servants start talking." He turns to instruct the servants and Capulets, and I stare down at my script. As I read further, I realize that this scene is the pilgrims scene.

"Hey," says a soft voice. I raise my head so quickly that I hit it on the whiteboard. Piper raises a hand tentatively as I cringe from the sudden pain. "Oh, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say quickly. I feel my heart pounding faster and faster and I forbid myself to blush. I reach out a hand to lean on Mr. Hark's desk, but it lands on a sheet of paper, and I slip and stumble until I land in a heap on the ground. I look up at Piper, who's hiding her face to keep from laughing.

"Are you okay?" she asks, leaning over to help me up. I scramble to my feet, feeling the heat that comes seeping into my cheeks.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" I assure her, and she smiles, which doesn't help in keeping me from blushing.

"Okay. We're on when the servants and Capulet and such quit talking, so be ready." She ambles off to her spot, and I stand to take my place. Soon, it's our turn, so I lean against the wall in my spot, waiting for the servant to finish his line. I read mine in a clear voice, and then read further to find out that there are a ton of lines between my next few lines with Juliet.

Once Connor (Tybalt) exits the scene, I begin to talk to Piper. We stumble through the first few lines before I realize that we aren't just talking about pilgrims… We're flirting. I feel my face growing red as I read my next line:

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take." I pause, unsure what to do. The stage directions tell me that I have to—

"Well?" asks Mr. Hark expectantly. "You have to kiss her! Hurry up, Jason!" Wait, _what?_

"What?" Piper and I both say at the same time.

"You two have probably kissed loads of people! You're going to have to do this so many more times, so you better get used to it." He sits back expectantly. _What kind of freaking play was this?_ Piper turns to me with wide eyes. We've been friends for a long time, but I know she has a boyfriend… A boyfriend I despise. Besides, this is all for a play… Right? She looks at me warily, and before I can lose any sudden confidence, I grab her arms and pull her in and kiss her cheek. It's quick and friendly, but I can feel my face reddening. She smelled good— like cinnamon and flowers; and her cheek was so soft. Mr. Hark sighs.

"I guess that will have to do. You both will have to kiss eventually. Continue," he says dismissively, and he walks over to the next scene that's being acted out. The last parts of the scene are blurry because my mind is still reeling from the kiss. Sure, it was intimate and for acting and on the cheek, but it was still a step forward. When the bell rings, I gather up my things as quickly as I can, my heart still pounding from the class' events of the day, and walk out with Percy.

"What happened in there? You look like you got slapped in the face," Percy asks as we walk to our lockers.

"Nothing," I reply, and I'm shocked to hear that my voice is dreamy.

…

After school, soccer practice is cancelled because of the rain. It's raining torrents, and when I hurry off to the bus stop, I'm nearly soaked by the time I reach the door. It's packed inside, except for a seat next to Darren.

"Hey," he says in that annoyingly perfect accent.

"Hi," I say, forcing myself to sound a little friendly.

"Who are you taking to the Winter Ball?" he asks suddenly. I stare at him.

"It's in February," I say slowly. "It's only fall." Darren shakes his head and smiles.

"Oh, but everyone is asking everyone else. You better hurry before it's too late to find a date."

"Who are you taking?" I ask, dreading the answer.

"Piper, of course! I'm going to ask her later, though, because I need time to decline all of my invitations!" He laughs and winks at a girl across the aisle. She swoons and I glare at the back of Darren's head. _You cocky little shit._

When the bus arrives at my stop, I storm off. I need to find a way to ask Piper before Darren does, and as quickly as possible.

…

Thalia's band is in our garage again, practicing for the Battle of the Bands without a doubt. I enter slowly, unsure if I'm welcome, and sit down on the couch. They're playing a Green Day song; one that I'd heard before from Thalia. I look up at the small stage shoved against one wall and watch the girls practicing.

Thalia stands in her short leather jacket and ripped black jeans, her nimble fingers sliding around the neck of the guitar with ease. Annabeth nods her head in time with her bass line, her blond, wavy hair covering most of her face. Hazel is seated in the back with the drum set, expertly beating out the rhythm. Piper stands in front, her legs parted in a confident stance, one hand on the microphone, her eyes closed. When the open, they immediately focus on me, and I can see her stance waver. When the song ends, she slinks back to talk to Hazel as I clap. Thalia glares at me.

"What are you doing in here? Spying?" she asks suspiciously. I shake my head.

"Just listening," I reply. "It's really good. I like it." Piper steps off the stage and comes near me to grab her water bottle. "You're really good," I say to her, and she looks at me.

"Really?" she asks with a smile.

"Yeah," I reply. "Um, do you want to practice lines some time? I mean, just, like, friendly." Piper gives me a strange look.

"Sure…" She turns back to the stage, and I walk inside the house as nonchalantly as possible.

_What the hell were you thinking, Jason? How can you ask that without it sounding like a date?!_ I punch myself inwardly. You can't just go from friends to: "Let's date. Like, right now." I needed to do this the right way. Take it slower, but fast enough that Darren couldn't ask her before I did.

…

The next week is shooting lines back and forth in Drama. We go to the theater and start to partner up and recite. Piper and I are assigned to be together, so we find a place to sit down and talk. We sit at the edge of the stage and begin to shoot our lines back and forth. It actually goes by pretty quickly, and when we're done, we have a lot of time to spare. I decide to strike up a conversation, like the smooth guy I am.

"Your band is really great," I say, flicking through some papers. Piper looks up at me.

"Really? Thanks!" She smiles. My stomach does a flip-flop, but I push onward.

"Yeah, your voice is amazing." I look down at my papers again, but glance up quickly. Piper hunches over, staring down at her papers.

"Thanks." Her voice is quieter now.

"Is something wrong?" I ask her, leaning towards her. _Jesus Christ, Jason, you're getting brave. _She looks up, kaleidoscope eyes meeting mine.

"No, no, I'm fine." Something is wrong. I can tell.

"You can tell me, Piper. I'm right here."

She sighs. "I…" She trails off, looking sadly at the chairs in the audience. "It's just… My dad." Oh, right. Her extremely famous dad. I've seen a few of his movies, and he's actually a great actor. From what I've heard from Percy and from some situations in the past, she doesn't get to see him a whole lot.

"What's wrong with your dad?" I ask, pressing her.

"No, nothing's wrong. It's just that… Performing makes me kind of sad. He's wanted me to be an actress since I was old enough to perform in my first play." I cringe, thinking about how that might feel. She takes a deep breath and continues. "But, I don't want to act, Jason! I want to be normal, and be in a band, and have friends, and actually spend enough time with my kids to the point that they actually _love_ having me around!" She sucks in her breath quickly. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay." I had no idea she felt this way about her dad. There's a short silence, and Piper brushes back some of her hair.

"Remember…" She pauses, but then continues. "Remember in fourth grade when we had to put on a skit for the whole lower school?" she asks me. I immediately think back and recall the event.

"Yeah! We had to re-enact that book we were reading!" I laugh, recalling what a terrible actor I was.

"Well, my dad gave me acting lessons every day. He pushed me so hard sometimes that I would start to cry. He tried so hard to push me to be someone I didn't want to be, Jason. I didn't even tell him about this play because I knew what would happen." It's silent for a few moments.

"I'm sorry. That must be horrible." I cringe at my weak words. Piper shrugs and sighs.

"It happens a lot. I must sound like a huge loser." I look at her.

"No, you don't. I promise. I'm here to help you, Pipes." _When did I start calling her Pipes? What the hell, Jason._

"Thanks." She smiles and pulls something out of her back pocket. I realize it's her phone when she places it in my hands. "Here. Put your number in there. I might have to call to complain a lot." She laughs weakly.

"I don't mind at all," I reply, trying my hardest to keep my hands from shaking as I enter my number. That's another step forward. _Eat your heart out, Darren Murray._ When I've finished, I hand the phone back to her.

"Thanks. You're a great friend," she says with a smile. The bell rings, and before I can register what's going on, her arms are around me in an embrace. _Piper McLean is hugging me. _"Bye!" she says, scooping up her stuff. My brain is mush, and I try to say something smooth back. Gotta be smooth, gotta be smooth.

"HHHracksnifgbye." Shit. She's too far away to hear me, though, which I'm thankful for. I gather up my things and stuff them into my backpack, joining Percy by the theater exit.

"I saw your hug. Quite romantic," Percy says, stifling a laugh. I sigh and walk out the door. "You literally look like you just kissed Jennifer Lawrence. Close your mouth." I snap my mouth shut, realizing it's been open for the past few minutes. Percy laughs. "You're hopeless, Grace." I glare at him.

"Oh, did you hear Hark's announcement?" Percy asks.

"What? No," I reply. This couldn't be good.

"We have to perform a few scenes for the freshmen on Friday, so, you know, they'll be interested." _Oh, hell._

_ "What?_ Which scenes?" I ask Percy. This was not good.

"Um, that one you guys did like a week ago; the one with you and Piper? The scene with me and you and Drew, and a few others." _Shit. Shitshitshitshit. _The kissing scene. We were going to have to kiss in front of every immature freshman at Jefferson High. Maybe I could pull off a kiss on the cheek… Or maybe an air-kiss? I knew for sure Reyna wouldn't like it. Oh, god. _Reyna._ She was still probably expecting me to ask her to the ball. What would she do if she found out I was intent on asking Piper? She was going to kill me.


	4. The Day Before

**A/N: This is a shorter chapter, but the next will be better! Reviews are very much appreciated! (I'd like to know your favorite parts so I can add more of those types of scenes into the story, and also what you would like to maybe happen next! I can incorporate some fan-based ideas!) Enjoy!**

As it turned out, I didn't have to break up with Reyna. She broke up with me. I'd always known she had a pretty bad temper, so when she found out I was going to kiss Piper maybe ten times in the next two months, she flipped. She called me and told me that because she wouldn't be able to handle it, she would leave me alone.

Reyna was wonderful and beautiful and kind when she was in a good mood. She must have been hurt as hell when she found out that I had to rehearse with Piper. She had been amazing to me, but she had a right to move on if she felt too pressured or upset. I knew it was coming, however. There had always been a little distance between us, and she never had seemed completely happy. Maybe now she would find the happiness to fill that gap.

But, of course, after Reyna broke up with me, _everybody _knew. The perks of being popular. _Everybody_ wanted to know why, and _everybody _wanted to know whom I was going to date next, as if I had a queue or something (which offended me). The first person to hear about it and approach me is Percy, of course.

"Now you can ask Piper to the ball without a problem," he says cheerfully. It's the day before the freshmen disaster-waiting-to-happen, and I'm nervous.

"Shut up!" I nearly yell. "Be quiet; I don't need the whole school to know, least of all Reyna. Besides, I do have a problem. And his name is Darren." Percy purses his lips and whistles.

"Oh, I forgot about him." He's silent for a few moments. "Well, we can plan to get rid of him so you can get with Piper," Percy suggests. I can feel my eye twitching.

"I don't… Want to… _Get_ with her, you perv," I scoff. "I just want to ask her to the ball and then—…"

"She'll fall hopelessly in love with you and your childhood dreams'll come true?" Percy pipes in. I feel like slapping him.

"No! Well, not like _that._ You make it sound so stupid," I say indignantly. Percy just raises an eyebrow and continues to make his way through the thick crowd in the hallway.

…

That night, I sit on my bed and go through my lines. If I mess up tomorrow in front of all those freshmen, I swear I'm never going to live it down. Gossip spreads like wildfire in Jefferson High. After all, rumors of my breakup were present mere hours after it happened. I practice my scene containing Percy and Drew, and then move on to the one with Piper. I'm still having trouble reciting the flirty lines without stuttering a whole lot, and I know that with hundreds of eyes upon me tomorrow, I'm sure to mess up something. I also needed to practice that kiss somehow, or even get an idea of what I'm going to do when the times comes for me to do something related to a kiss. I brainstorm for a few moments, my finger frozen on my script where I left off.

Cheek kiss? The freshmen will think it's lame. Fake kiss? They'll be able to tell. There are literally a million lights on us, catching every movement and action. I shudder. Oh, dear god. I have no choice but to try to kiss her, _full on the mouth._ I know that if I do, though, I won't be able to process anything for the remainder of the scene. I sigh and flop backwards onto my bed, spreading my arms out wide to stretch. I take a deep breath and try to calm the nerves that are jittering in my stomach. I had two problems: one with kissing Piper, and the other had a British accent.


	5. Freshmen

7:00 am

I'm scared as shit. The performance is in three hours, and we all had to come to school early to squeeze in rehearsal time and costume fitting. Rachel Dare and her friend Katie are running around the stage like maniacs, screaming orders at stage workers and set decorators. The sets are beautiful and run on wheels so in between scenes they can change them. I'm currently shooting lines back and forth with Percy and Drew.

"Scene," Percy finishes, clearly tired from our speedy run-through. I sigh, running a hand through my hair. I feel sluggish and tired from my lack of sleep. My nerves had been bothering me all night, and I barely got five or six hours of rest. "Let's block now," Percy suggests, and Drew nods.

"I can't remember if I'm supposed to cross stage left or stage right," Drew says, and I sigh deeply again, squinting and trying to remember as well.

"Stage right," I say finally, squeezing the bridge of my nose with one hand. Drew nods and marks it down on her script.

"You know," Percy begins, "I think we're screwed."

"Shut up," Drew snaps at him. "You're making me nervous." Percy sighs and glances down at his script.

"The freshmen are the most judgmental people at this god damn school besides maybe the sophomores," he argues, and Drew turns scarlet.

"Stop being so negative!" she exclaims, throwing her script down. "You're going to scare everyone off the stage. It's horrible!" Percy rests his face in his hands.

"Sorry. I'm just tired." Drew picks up her script and sighs, rubbing her eyes.

"We all are tired," I butt in. "I got almost no sleep last night. I'm nervous, too." I nod at Drew, who smiles weakly. "But we have to do this. Percy, if we get this right, we don't have to worry about the stupid freshmen's opinions. Let's just try to get this down." Percy agrees and Drew sighs with relief. We start reciting our lines carefully and clearly, and block the scene until we've finished.

"That was great!" I say, trying to drive out the bad mood. Percy and Drew nod and smile weakly, and I rub my face with one hand.

"Jason, bring your group over!" a shrill cry calls.

"Coming, Rachel!" Percy yells back. "We need to get fitted. Rachel and Katie are freaking out. Let's go."

We make our way over to the fitting rooms behind the stage where Katie stands. Rachel immediately grabs Percy by the shoulders and steers him to Katie.

"You're wearing your undershirt?" she asks him quickly.

"Um, yea—"

"Good." Rachel shoves Percy into a dressing room and Katie rips his costumes out of their plastic shells. She pitches them under the curtain and instructs Percy to put on his green tights, maroon top, and maroon and white hat. Percy garbles something in reply. There's a few moments of silence, and then a girlish shriek. The curtain is whipped aside, and Percy storms out.

"I look—!" he begins furiously. Katie steers him away from the dressing room.

"Amazing," Rachel cuts in, not even turning to look at him. "Next!" She turns to me and shoves my costume into my arms. I run into the dressing room before Katie can push me in.

"The blue tights and goldish top are yours. Also, the hat with the blue feather is yours as well," Katie's voice calls over the curtain. I pull the costume on with some difficulty and stare at myself in the dirty mirror hung in the room. I look absolutely ridiculous. I'm wearing tights and some sort of puffy skirt-like article with a bodice and a puffy hat.

"Are you done yet?" Katie asks me frantically.

"Yeah—!" The curtain whips open, and Katie's face appears. She grabs my arm and pulls me out of the dressing room. I join Percy near the edge of the back of the stage. His arms are crossed and he's hunched over, watching the group that's blocking stage center.

"You look stunning," I laugh, and Percy slowly turns to look at me.

"Shut up," he scowls. I chuckle and cross my arms, watching the group as well. Mr. Hark joins us on the side of the stage.

"We'll let the members of this group in your scene get their costumes, and then you can start the first performance," Mr. Hark informs me. I nod.

A few minutes later, everyone is in costume. I start to head out onto the stage, but freeze as soon as I catch sight of Piper.

She's wearing a long white dress that puffs up at the shoulders and is threaded with gold. The sleeves are split down the middle, revealing her dainty tan arms from the elbows down. Her hair is braided back with golden stands at the top, the bottoms of her long, jagged hair curled into perfection. Her face is covered in light makeup; enough to allow her face to show up under the lights. I swallow down a huge lump in my throat, feeling my eyes go wide. My heart beats faster and faster, and I try to avert my eyes before I can blush harder than I already am. She looks stunning, and if it wasn't for the fact that we were surrounded by our entire Drama class, I was a wimp, and she was too good for me, I would have grabbed her and kissed her right there.

"Alright! The party scene, everyone!" calls Mr. Hark, and I take my place pouring myself a glass of invisible punch. I can hear the Capulets and the servants talking, as well as the soft chatter of the guests. Rachel and Katie had done a great job ordering everyone around with the decorations; the set looked like a real hall complete with streamers and party decorations. Once the last servant has finished his lines, I step forward, trying not to feel ridiculous.

"What lady is that which doth enrich the hand of yonder knight?" I ask Travis Stoll, a servingman. He replies with his lines until I get to my large chunk of dialogue. I take a shaky breath and recite my lines perfectly. Once Tybalt and Lord Capulet finish exchanging their words, Piper shyly steps into view and my words catch in my throat. Lord Capulet (Will Solace) is also staring at her and checking her out in a way that Juliet's father really wouldn't. I try to pronounce my lines as clearly as I can when I begin the flirty scenes.

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss." I reach to hold Piper's hands as she smiles coyly and leans away from me. We continue to recite our lines until I arrive at the kissing part. I pause and glance quickly at Mr. Hark. His eyebrows shoot up to his hairline and he motions for us to go on. _Oh, god._ I turn to Piper, who's looking somewhere at my chin. My hands are shaking as I reach to tilt her chin up towards my face. I lean in and quickly press my lips against her cheek. I pull away almost immediately, feeling my face go bright red. I can hear Mr. Hark scoffing from behind the curtain, and I smile a little, my stomach still filled with butterflies.

We finish our scene and I walk off stage, my role finished as Juliet goes to speak with the Nurse. Percy pulls me aside, barely containing his laughter.

"Dude, if the freshmen see you pull something like _that_, they're going to flip. You'll be screwed. You need to kiss her, like, _on the mouth!"_ I glare at him.

"And you need to shut up. But we can't always get what we want, can we?" Percy glowers and watches the scene. I turn to watch them as well, focusing on Piper's beautiful, animated face.

Once the scene has concluded, Mr. Hark calls out our whole cast.

"We have a few more scenes to run through, and because it's only 7:45 and we're nearly finished with the rehearsals, we're going to be running through every scene again up until 10:00," Mr. Hark announces. The class groans. Personally, I would be fine with running through the scenes with Piper again and again. "Go back to your first groups if you don't have any more scenes." I only have a fighting scene with Tybalt, Percy, and Drew, so I go to join them to run through the lines and the choreography a few times. We have it down perfectly, of course, because who wouldn't like to practice a real sword fight? Once we finish, Drew slumps against a wall and slowly drags herself into a sitting position.

"I don't know about you guys," she yawns, "but I really need some coffee. I'm going to make a quick run to the vending machines. Anybody else?" I nod along with Percy and Connor. We hand her a few bucks, and she disappears through the theater doors.

I strike up a conversation with Percy, which quickly lapses into a lecture about whether horses can talk or not. Not five minutes pass before the theater doors open with a _bang._ Drew stands in the aisle between the audience's seats, holding a paper drink holder full of bottles of vanilla and chocolate coffee drinks. Her hair is ruffled and her lipstick smudged down one cheek.

"What happened to you?" Connor asks, snorting. Drew silences him with a look, and then turns to me and Percy.

"Hell. Hell happened to me." She shudders, handing us our drinks. "The freshmen." I make a face, and Percy winces.

"I'm sorry, Drew," I say sympathetically, but she shakes her head.

"Don't be sorry. You'll experience their wrath soon enough."

"Were they just being asses about the play?" Percy asks tentatively. Drew nods, sipping her coffee.

"Jerks," she says simply, and chugs her drink again. I sigh, running a hand through my hair.

"You might want to get backstage as soon as possible, though, Drew. Rachel and Katie are going to flip when they see you like that," I tell her, and she nods, lifting her coffee bottle to drain the rest of it.

"I'm on it. I feel like a new woman already," she says with a stronger smile.

"You mean new man," Percy corrects her.

"Do you want that bottle shoved up your nose, because I can arrange that," Drew calls over her shoulder. I take a sip of my drink. It tastes like vanilla and coffee and lots of sugar. Just what I need.

"How bad do you think the freshmen will be?" asks Percy. I shrug.

"I have no idea." Percy nods. There's a shriek from backstage; most likely Silena's, who is in charge of makeup. I look to the stage, where a few students are milling around and talking, having just finished the last scene. Mr. Hark stands to the side, taking notes on his clipboard.

"Alright, students!" The theater falls silent, and Mr. Hark looks up from his papers to speak. "We're going to run through the scenes again at least two more times. We're up with the first scene with Percy, Drew, and Jason. Here we go. Clear the stage." Everyone walks off the stage as Drew reappears with fresh makeup. Silena trails behind her with a makeup brush, catches sigh of me, and rushes right over. Without warning, she dusts my face generously. I cough, some of the strange powder seeping into my nose and mouth. The theater dims and then my group is bathed in hot, yellow light.

…

Once we've finished every scene twice around, it's 9:45. Everyone is backstage as the theater grows louder with the sound of freshmen chattering and filing in. It's dark behind the sets and the closed velvet curtain, the only light coming from christmas lights strung on the walls. Mr. Hark gives us a short pep talk, which I tune out, and we're set free to make last-minute adjustments to our costumes and run through our scenes quickly. I find Piper standing beside the curtain, a bar of light resting over her right cheek. I join her, looking out into the audience.

It's packed with kids and teachers, all talking and laughing and smiling, unaware of the actors' current nervous state backstage. Piper turns her head slowly and smiles.

"You scared me," she whispers. I smile back.

"Sorry." She's so close; I could easily close the space between us, but alas, I am hopeless. Her warm breath fans across my face; it smells like cinnamon. A stray hair falls across her forehead, and I brush it away without thinking. It's silent between us now, my electric blue eyes holding her dark ones. They seem black in the dim lighting, but when she looks back at the audience, they flash hazel and hint at blue. I turn away, nerves fluttering in my stomach.

Finally, after what seems like forever, Mr. Hark takes a microphone from Charlie, the head of the tech crew, and steps in front of the curtains. There's a roar of applause and hooting, and I can hear Mr. Hark tap the microphone a few times.

"My name is Mr. Hark and I am the Drama and Language Arts teacher for sophomores. It's been a privilege practicing with my students and we now present to you a portion of our upcoming performance in February. And now… Our sophomore Drama class… Presents Romeo and Juliet! Thank you." There's a loud spatter of applause and wolf-whistles and cat calls. I cringe and prepare myself for the bright lights and judgmental students crammed into the audience. Mr. Hark shuffles back through the curtains and quietly steers me and Percy and Drew to our positions.

"Here we go," Percy whispers, his voice full of dread. I nod, but I know he can't see me in the darkness. I can hear the curtains swish to the sides of the stage, revealing blackness before me. I know that the people are there; I just can't see them. I sense the darkness fading away slowly, and then I'm blinded with hot lights again. A small whoop escapes one audience member, followed by a hundred people shushing him or her. I stand frozen, staring out into the blackness and the burning lights. Finally, I open my mouth.

The whole scene is a blur. I nail every line and Percy and Drew are flawless actors. When the lights finally dim, there is roar of applause, quickly silenced when someone announces that the audience hold their applause for the end. There's another scene before the party scene, so I lean against one of the sets and breathe heavily.

"Nerves?" Percy whispers, looking pale in the dim lighting. I nod, the butterflies now birds exploding in my stomach. "We did great." I nod, realize he can't see me, and agree. I straighten my hat and watch for the telltale dimming of the lights. When they finally do go low, I amble onstage in the pitch dark and wait for the stage to be bathed again. The lights come on, and everyone is in their positions, like magic. The servants huddle together and chatter while I pour myself a glass of invisible punch like I had practiced a million times. When Lord Capulet begins to speak, I pretend to dance with a lady. Then, it's my turn.

I make a huge deal of noticing Juliet and pulling aside a servant. Of course, it's not hard, and I expect everyone else's eyes in the audience are glued on her, too.

"I know not, sir," the serving man replies to my previous question. This is it. My large chunk of text in the scene. I take a deep breath before I begin, attempting to calm the raging birds.

"O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night, like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear; beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, as yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand, and, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night." I nearly gasp by the end, out of breath and scared out of my wits. Tybalt begins his conversation, and it speeds by until _the _scene.

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake," Piper recites, her colorful eyes steadily staring into mine. I take a deep breath and take her hands. They're soft and warm.

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take," I tell her quietly, and I feel my heart speeding up. I lean in closer to her, slowly, and watch her eyes. They begin to flutter, her breath fanning across my face. My lips are inches from hers, and I feel my heart beginning to pound harder and harder. At first, I think that it's my heart that's growing unbearably loud, but I realize that it's the _audience. Every freshman is clapping._ I immediately feel my face go bright red and duck in too quickly. My lips smash against her cheek, and I taste hair, sending her head jerking off to the side. The auditorium is silent for a few moments before someones yells:  
"Kiss her like a man!" I flush under the lights and turn back to Piper, who's looking somewhere below my eyes.

"Yeah! Kiss her! Kiss her!" The auditorium roars with life, each student repeating the same chant over and over again:

"Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!" I can hear the teachers attempting to shush the students to no avail. "Kiss her! Kiss her!" I lean in only to find Piper way too close to my face to function. My mind becomes a ball of fuzz as I lean in, my eyes half closed, each freshman cheering. At the last second, I whip my head to the right and peck her on the cheek. The freshmen fall silent, and I can feel their eyes glued to me. It remains silent as the lights dim and the curtains close, and when everything is shut off from the audience, Piper and I bolt offstage faster than we've ever run in our lives. I'm thankful for the shortened scene. Percy is waiting for me.

"What the _hell, _Jason!" He raises his arms in disbelief, his voice barely above a whisper. "I thought you were going to _kiss_ her!"

"I did," I reply, shying away from him.

"On the _mouth, _you idiot!" he whispers, glowering. "Now the freshmen are going to kick your butt for not kissing the girl." I set my mouth in a straight line, trying to hide the fireworks going off in the pit of my stomach. Immediately, I feel a hand on my shoulder. It's Mr. Hark.

"You better kiss her in the real performance, or we're going to have a problem on our hands," he tells me sternly, and I nod.

"Yes, sir," I reply. Mr. Hark glances at me warily before he ambles off. I turn to the stage, where the next scene between Piper and the Nurse is going on. I take off my hat and run a hand through my blonde hair nervously. Why didn't I just kiss her? I probably would never get another chance.

Once every scene is finished, the whole cast comes out onstage. We're greeted by a huge round of applause and some standing ovations, hooting and whistling included. We bow, and the lights dim for the last time. When it's dark, we exit (Connor trips), and meet backstage for some refreshments.

"Great job, everyone!" Mr. Hark announces. "We were a smash hit." We all cheer, and I find Piper in the crowd, who's beaming, her eyes sparkling. We all start to mill around, chatting and drinking iced tea. Percy slaps me on the back and Connor and Travis attempt to steal my wallet in congratulations. Piper smiles at me across the room, and I feel my insides melt. A job well done (except for the kissing part).

**Thanks for reading the newest chapter! Please review so I can know what you think! Comment your favorite parts of the story so far! :D**


	6. Piper

**A/N: I had a request from someone to do a Piper P.O.V., and, actually, when they asked, I had two already written! Hope you enjoy. ;)**

**Piper P.O.V.**

It's the day after the freshmen performance. It was fairly successful despite the nerves in my stomach. I had prayed to God that nobody had told my father about the performance. If he would have come, I would have died right there on the stage.

It's raining again, and the sky is dark gray. Jane is driving me to school in her red convertible.

"Drop me off here," I instruct Jane as we grow closer to school. She slows the car and turns to me, her red lipstick-stained lips pursed into a frown.

"But, your school—!"

"Is within walking distance," I interrupt, picking up my backpack and opening the car door. I slam it shut before she can protest. My sneakers make squishing noises as I squeak through the puddles, but I don't mind. I love the rain and the smell of it and the feel of it. I can feel my designer hoodie getting ruined, but I don't mind that either. Maybe if I get it beaten up enough, I can convince my dad not to buy me another one.

My acid-washed jeans are nearly soaked through by the time I get to the front steps of Jefferson High. My choppy bangs are plastered to my forehead when I enter the front door, so I wipe my hand across my forehead to dry them. As I pass the Stolls' lockers, I can feel their eyes follow me. I hunch my shoulders, trying to hide my face. I pass Mason and Will Solace as well, and I feel their eyes train on me. I lower my head so my hair covers my face.

I enter first period like this and I try to straighten. My hoodie is nearly dry and looks fairly un-destroyed. I sigh. I take my seat next to Michael Yew, who I can see is staring at me out of the corner of his eye. I block my face and stare at the whiteboard and Mrs. Richtaker. It's another superb day.

…

After school, I head to the field where Jane picks me up. It's just sprinkling, which disappoints me. I take a shortcut through the lockers by the gym and turn the corner. A dumpster greets me there, and I pause for a moment. Something sounds funny. I walk closer to the dumpster and there's a shuffling noise. Rats, maybe? I walk around the disposal contraption to see if it's coming from the other side and then freeze. _Disgusting_. A couple is full-on _making out_ behind the gym. The girl is Jessica Stein— a redhead with a fiery attitude and intense flirtiness— and the other is a dark-haired boy. Jessica opens her eyes and looks up at me. She releases a squeak and I raise an eyebrow. Usually she isn't so shocked at getting caught. However, when the boy turns to look at me, I know why she's so frightened. The boy is _Darren._

"You _bitch!"_ I shriek, and Jessica jumps like a cat. I hiss at her and pounce, knocking her to the ground. I turn to Darren, anger and resentment growing in the pit of my stomach. He stares back with wide, frightened eyes, and I narrow my gaze pointedly.

"You _cheating, lying—!"_

"Now, Pipes," Darren begins, backing away with his hands raised.

"_Dirty little—!"_

"Let's take it easy, now, sweetums." He chuckles nervously and suddenly trips over a rise in the sidewalk. He scurries on his four limbs, backing away still and kicking up gravel.

"_Piece of—!"_

"Let's talk about this!" he shrieks, jumping to his feet and sprinting in the other direction. I hear Jessica squeal behind me as she jumps up as well and hobbles off as fast as she can. I watch both of them run off confidently until they're out of sight, and then begin to stride across the field. I laugh to myself. Stupid people. I continue to laugh until everything slaps me in the face and my laughs quickly turn into sobs. My strides cease suddenly, and I collapse in the middle of the field, silently crying.


	7. His Own Terms

**A/N: This is a continuation from the last chapter! Still Piper's point of view! Jason will be back next time! Don't forget to review and tell me what you think of the story so far!**

**Piper P.O.V.**  
He did it. He freaking did it. That worthless piece of crap was kissing Jessica Stein behind the gym. If he didn't want to date me, then why the hell didn't he say so? I look down at my laptop, which is filled to the brim with messages of apologies from Darren. I shut the top of it quickly with a slam and hurry downstairs to find something to have a pity party with. My acid-washed jeans are stained with grass and mud. A pair of perfectly good jeans ruined. Oh, well. It didn't mean I wouldn't stop wearing them.

The whole way down, I try to not think about Darren and my major crying episode. It's hard. I knew other girls liked him, but I didn't know that he'd actually eventually like any of them back. Thinking of the shy, beautiful boy who had asked me out months ago was hard to picture, as the thought of him was as smeared and distorted as Jessica's lipgloss smudged across his face.

I open the fridge, grab an apple, and look around quickly before I attempt to run up the stairs as quietly as possible. As I leap up to my room, I hear a door open and a voice call:

"Piper? Is that you?" I cringe and pause, debating whether or not to slink back into my room. Finally, I sigh and slump back down the stairs.

"Yeah, dad?" I ask, approaching our huge, lavish kitchen. I quickly brush back my hair and wipe away any remaining traces of tears. My dad stands by the counter, stirring some greek yogurt.

"Hey," he says with a smile. It's a tired smile; one he puts on when he's done too much work for the day. His dark hair is combed back neatly, his suit perfectly ironed except for his red tie, which is a little crooked. "I have to fly out to London to film for a new movie. I'll be gone for a few weeks." I sigh. This is normal, but recently, it's been getting annoying. "Jane will be here to look after you."

"Okay," I answer in a monotone-sounding voice. "I'm going to take a bath." I thank God that he isn't noticing my stained pants.

"Alright, Pipes. I'm sorry for leaving right after I got back from Paris, but this is going to be a big winner." Like every single one of your last ones.

"Okay, Dad. Good luck." I continue to trudge up the stairs, trying my hardest to not be mad at the world.

I enter my huge bathroom and throw open one of the cabinets to find some soaps and salts. I decide to use a combination of peony and peppermint because it always seems to make me feel a little better. I start to run the water for the huge bathtub and turn on the jets. I take all of my soaps and conditioners that contain peony and peppermint and line them up on the rim of the tub. I carefully dump a tablespoon of the peppermint salts into the water and squeeze out a large amount of peony bubble bath. The scented bubbles start to grow dangerously high with the jets on, so I turn the water off and set the jets on the lowest setting. As I lower myself into the bath, I look up at the glass ceiling. It's still raining, like yesterday and the day before, and the sky is a dark gray color.

I grab my phone from the rim of the tub and open it, only to find more texts from Darren. I can feel my confidence slowly slipping away, and I can't help it. I can't tell if it's the hormones or the mood, or that my dad is leaving again, or the fact that Darren is a sleazy little piece of shit. I start to cry again, my tears mingling with the scented bubbles. My cries grow louder and more severe, until I'm full-on sobbing. I hug my knees and listen to the sound of the jets, which seem to be the only comfort in my life. Maybe I can call Jason. He would understand and help me feel better. We're good friends! Before I can rethink what I'm doing, I pick up my phone and call him.

He picks up on the third ring.

"Hello?" he asks. I smile at the sound of his voice.

"Hi. It's Piper."

"Oh!" There's a bang on the other end of the line, followed by some muffled curses. "Hi, Piper. What's up?" I open my mouth to speak, but my charming tone slips away after the first syllable. I can't help it, and I feel like a complete idiot; I start crying into the phone. "Wait— are you okay?" he asks from the other end. I choke on a sob.

"What? Yeah. Um…" I can feel my face reddening. I sound like a loser.

"What's wrong?" His voice sounds deadly serious. I want to say that everything is fine, but everything comes spilling out, distorted by my tears.

"Um, Darren… Cheating." I cry harder. "It's not a big deal, I swear! I just didn't have anyone to tell, and—!"  
"He was cheating on you?"

"Yeah, I—!" A feeling of desperation is growing in the pit of my stomach as Jason interrupts me. "Sorry, Piper." There's silence, and then he continues. "I apologize for this in advance, but I'm going to kick the shit out of that cheating pig."

"Oh, my god, he's going to hate me—!" I try to argue, but Jason cuts me off again.

"No, I'll do this one on my own terms." I try to say something, but he hangs up before I can say anything. Oh, no. I immediately drain the tub and wrap myself in a robe and try to call Jason back. He doesn't pick up.


	8. Broken Noses

The next day is pale, with a veil of clouds settled low over the horizon. I storm off of the bus and almost sprint up the front steps of the school, anger and resentment fueling my hatred. Darren wasn't on the bus today. Lucky him.

The halls are not crowded yet; I'm one of the first to run in. How can I find him? Follow the putrid stench of disloyalty and betrayal. And douchebaggyness. I know he has Geometry first. I'm also not a stalker for knowing that. But he does. I make my way to Mrs. Kleppan's room, and, I swear, crowds part to let me through. I can almost feel the smoke billowing out of my ears.

He's there. In the room. Smiling at Tina McLoven. They're the only two in the class at the moment. I peer in at him through the glass, weigh my consequences, and then bust the door down. Well, more like throw it open as hard as I can. Darren whips around, and suddenly, it's like a movie. His smile drops right off of his smug little face as he catches sight of me. His hands find the edge of his chair to stand, but I grab his collar and yank his face right in front of mine. Tina shrieks and scrambles away. I thank everything in existence for the fact that Mrs. Kleppan isn't in her room. I pray that Tina will keep quiet as well.

"You're a cheating asshole," I whisper quietly, dangerously. Darren pales. Tina squeaks from the opposite side of the room.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he says, his voice shaking. I yank his collar again, and he whimpers. I can see sweat beading at his hairline. I'm a little shocked myself about how tough I'm being.

"She told me," I say with a maniacal smile. I tilt my head a little to the right for added effect. I feel like a madman.

"Who? She's lying!" he stammers, swallowing hard. I pull back from his face. He tries to unfurl my hands from his tangled polo shirt. Tina has one hand clamped down over her mouth, and her face is incredibly pale.

"Say you're sorry," I hiss at him, and he shakes his head, forcing a smile onto his face.

"I have nothing to apologize for! I wasn't kissing anyone!" Darren stammers in his accent. I scoff.

"I never said kissing, you idiot," I say through clenched teeth. He's making me angrier and angrier.

"I wasn't cheating! I swear!" Darren's face scrunches up. It's almost pathetic. "Why are you _upset?_ It wasn't like I made out with _Reyna!_ Are you in love with Piper or something?" I freeze, my hands still tangled in his shirt. I feel my face grow bright red as I grow angrier still.

"Wrong answer." I shake my head with a sadistic smile. Darren squirms under my hold, attempting to swing a punch at me. Without hesitation, I pull my arm back and slug him right across the face.

…

A broken nose. Darren was sent to the nurse's office when Mrs. Kleppan had entered the room. Tina remained silent, from what I'd heard, and so had Darren. He claimed he had run into a pole. He was sent home for treatment later in the day.

It's band practice now. Percy's plugging in his amp, oblivious of the fact that I'd just punched my crush's ex-boyfriend in the face. Frank and Leo set up behind him as I stand with my guitar strapped around my neck. It had felt good. I had always wanted to punch the guy. He was the definition of "douche." I sigh and tighten the straps, wondering what Piper would think if she found out. She most likely had by now. Whatever. I'd be seeing her soon; she was inside the house waiting for her band's turn to practice.

Percy turns and straightens out his microphone, tapping it a few times. Leo taps his drumsticks as Frank straightens out his bass, and I snap back into reality.

"We're that really cool band, and this is Smashing Pumpkins," Leo calls out to the opposite garage wall. Percy shoots him a look, and Leo shrugs.

"Just trying out phrases for the battle," he says defensively. Percy turns back around with an eye roll. Frank remains silent. Leo continues to count us off, and we begin.

…

When our time is up, the girls file in. Piper catches my eye and immediately storms over. Her kaleidoscope eyes are fierce and filled with anger. She grabs my arm, electricity sparking where she holds me.

"So, I heard you punched my ex in the face," Piper says in a low voice in one of the corners of the garage. I flush. "And _broke his nose."_ She sounds vacantly angry, like she's trying too hard to be frustrated with me. I frown and try to explain.

"Sorry, Piper—," I begin, but she cuts me off with a wave of one perfect hand. She pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Well, I think you just made it clear to him that we are now formally broken up." She laughs poisonously, and lowers her hand. I look at her, and all of my resentment for Darren melts away. Her blue Paramore shirt matches her eyes, and her choppy hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail. If only I could ask her to the dance.

"Jason," she snaps, waving her hand in front of my face. I jump. "Don't drift off on me. I need you to realize that Darren's going to be a whole lot more pissed at you and me." I nod, my mind elsewhere. With a scoff, Piper pulls a small smile, and then her face straightens out. "Thanks, by the way," she whispers. I look down at her.

"Weren't you mad a second ago?" I ask, raising one eyebrow.

"It was too hard," she says with a small, mischievous smile. She saunters off to join her band onstage, leaving me staring after her. Percy walks over, his eyes following Piper as well.

"You're still hopeless," he says simply, turning back to me. "Close your mouth. Again." I snap my mouth shut, feeling myself blush. Percy shakes his head, laughing silently, and walks into the house.

…

After it seems like most of the girls have left and gone home, I retreat into the garage with Percy to gather up our backpacks to study for a Chemistry test tomorrow. Inside, to my surprise, stand Piper and Thalia, chatting amiably. Thalia glances at me and smiles faintly. Piper has her back to me. Percy nudges me rather visibly, and I stomp on his foot. He cries out in silence, the squeak of his shoe drawing the attention of both of the girls.

"Hey," Piper says, turning to us. Thalia nods at Percy, who salutes back, clutching his foot in pain. "What's wrong with your foot?" Piper asks, pointing. Percy cringes.

"What? Nothing!" he yelps. Thalia raises an eyebrow, but says nothing. "Anyways, we just came to get our stuff."

"Studying for Chemistry?" Piper asks, sympathy in her voice. We nod. "Cool. I should do the same. Jane will be waiting." She turns back to Thalia, and Percy flips me off. A car horn suddenly blares outside of the garage, and Piper sighs loudly. "That's her." She gathers up her things and exits the garage. Just like that, she's gone. Percy grabs his books and heads inside.

**A/N: Shorter chapter! The next will be up a little later! Review, comment, tell me what you think of the story!**


	9. Winter Break

**A/N: Shorter chapter just to sum up the winter break for Jason! Don't worry— he thought about Piper a lot. Just remember that the Battle of the Bands is just after break! The 7th of January, to be precise. Please comment and review to let me know what you think!**

Before I know it, it's winter break. Darren's nose is healing somewhere in England where he's retreated for the winter, and Piper's probably holed up (adorably). I, meanwhile, am blaring a White Stripes song our band is playing for the Battle of the Bands while reading my script. The competition is literally right after winter break ends, and I'm anxious. My fingers slide across the pages of my packet, and I ingrain the last few scenes into my brain. I have every scene except the last few completely memorized, which I find a huge accomplishment, given the fact that I've never had to memorize anything longer than the electron configuration concept.

I turn my music down a little and glance out the window. It's raining again, of course, as it does every winter. My bed looks extremely welcoming, but I turn back to my stack of papers. I have a while until I fully memorize my lines and I flip through the papers with a sigh. I know there are dark circles under my eyes, and I'm thankful Piper doesn't have to see them.

It's only noon once I finish my very last scene. With a sigh of relief, I flip my packet shut and lean back in my rolling chair, staring out the window. I'm tired, and my bed still looks very welcoming, but I rub my face with my hands and sigh again. Someone calls me from downstairs, so I push back from my desk and stand, stretching my arms above my head. I feel my shirt rise above my abdomen and brush back down. I straighten it as I hop down the stairs.

"There you are, snot," Thalia calls from the kitchen counter. Her attempt at insulting me sounds weak. She turns, and I see the dark circles under her own eyes. Her hair is more tousled than usual. "Lunch." She motions at the sandwich supplies laid out on the counter. I nod and grab a plate. "Mrs. Lane will be here in an hour." I cringe, piling turkey on a slice of bread.

Mrs. Lane is our caretaker for a few days a week. Because Thalia was nearly seventeen and very "mature", she was able to look after me for a few days a week as well. However, until she turned eighteen, we would still need a supervisor. Why did we need Mrs. Lane in the first place? Well, for starters, I had no idea who my dad was. He left us before I was born. Back when I was maybe eight, my real mother crashed her car while driving drunk and was jailed for breaking the law. Soon after, people discovered that she was an addicted alcoholic who barely cared for her own children. She was taken away from us, and Mrs. Lane was assigned as our caretaker. Once Thalia turned sixteen, she could help look after me as well. Our life doesn't suck like it seems to. I have a pretty great life and a sister who looks out for me while being a complete asshole about it most of the time. But I still love her.

I plop down next to Thalia at the kitchen table, shoving my sandwich into my mouth. She crinkles her nose.

"Gross. Better not let Mrs. Lane see you eat like that," she comments, putting down the crust of her sandwich. I shrug, stuffing more of my lunch into my mouth.

"Whatever. In a year, she won't even be needed anymore." Thalia dumps her food into a trash bin.

"I know. One more year." She exits the kitchen as I finish my sandwich in silence.

Mrs. Lane was always kind of a warden. She was obsessed with manners and etiquette, though Thalia and I had none of those. Spunky, individual, sassy Thalia was a little too much for Mrs. Lane to handle, so she mostly beat down on me; the popular, modest little brother. She kind of favored Thalia anyways, and Thalia always put on a show as a sort of responsible, mature older sister.

I finish my sandwich and dump the remains and my dish into the sink, careful not to splash water onto my already-messy t-shirt. I sprint up the stairs, sliding a little in my socks. I quickly rip open my dresser drawer and grab a new t-shirt, throwing my old one off and the other one over my head. I can hear Thalia blaring Green Day below me, so I flip open the top of my laptop and look up some acting tips.

By the fourth video, I'm nearly falling asleep. I snap the top of my computer shut and sigh, feeling exhausted. Just as I'm about to reopen my laptop and try again, the doorbell rings. Immediately, the Green Day music is shut off, and I can hear Thalia's footsteps climbing the stairs to open the front door.

"Jason!" she calls, but I'm already halfway down the staircase. I brush back my blonde hair in attempt to tame its wildness. Thalia looks me up and down and nods. I point at her eyes, which are smudged with black makeup. She quickly grabs the end of her black t-shirt and wipes at her eyes, careful not to smear it even more around her face. Once it's mostly wiped off, she turns the doorknob and steps back.

Mrs. Lane stands before us, her hooked nose tilted upwards. Her squinting gray eyes sweep over us, and I instinctively stiffen, attempting to straighten my back and square my shoulders. In one hand is clutched a black umbrella, dotted with tiny raindrops. Her business suit top and skirt look impeccably ironed and dry.

"Thalia. Jason." Her voice is high and wavering. I tighten my stomach in an attempt to seem taller.

"Mrs. Lane," Thalia replies in a voice that's too formal. I nod at the warden.

"Say hello, Jason Grace. It's rude to only nod," Mrs. Lane snaps. I can feel my mouth tighten.

"Hello," I nearly hiss back at her. She smiles tightly.

"Well," she sighs, turning on her heels in a circle, inspecting the front hallway. After a few moments, she snaps back like a soldier to to look at us. "Children, I'm only going to be here for a few minutes. It seems from the outside as if you have everything under control." She starts walking towards the kitchen, her black old lady heels clicking on the tiled floor. Thalia and I exchange looks, but follow Mrs. Lane.

"Clean. Good," Mrs. Lane notes, jotting something down onto her notepad. She peers into the sink. "Fine. A few dishes. No doubt Jason's." I almost scoff. I can hear Thalia muffle a snort. Mrs. Lane turns quickly and swings open the fridge, the contents of the door racks jangling. "Good food. Very nice." I almost smile. We had already stocked the fridge beforehand with vegetables and healthy crap— all of the junk food we owned was stuffed into the cupboard above the microwave.

"Our rooms are clean," Thalia says to Mrs. Lane as she leans away from the fridge. Mrs. Lane nods, jotting down more notes onto her pad.

"Good." She peeks out of the window into our backyard. "Backyard seems nice." With a final click of her pen, she straightens, her hooked nose now back in the air. Her gray hair, pulled back into a tight bun, quivers as she tucks away her notepad and pen. "Well, children. Thank you for your time. Our visits are becoming more and more brief as Thalia reaches closer to adulthood. Thalia, dear, take care of your younger brother." Thalia nods, and I remain silent. Mrs. Lane glances around once more before she sniffs and walks purposefully back to the front door.

"Jason, Thalia." She bows slightly before I nearly slam the door in her face.

"Mrs. Lane," I hiss in reply to the wood. Thalia turns to me.

"Asshole," she says, rolling her eyes, but I notice she's smiling. I laugh in reply and head back up the stairs. I'm almost too tired to reopen my laptop, so I lay down on my bed and stare up at the ceiling. A few shadows flicker here and there, but the sunlight shining through the rain lights up the white walls of my room. I sigh. I can feel my eyelids fluttering, but I'm too tired to keep them open. After a few moments, I can feel myself drifting off to sleep. My last thought is of Piper.

**A/N: The next chapter? The day before the Battle of the Bands. :D Please review and tell me what you think or what you want to happen!**


	10. The Battle of the Bands

**A/N: Sorry for the late update! I had a lot of studying, but here's one of the main chapters of the story! Hope you enjoy! Some major things coming up, so don't worry! Please review and tell me what you think!**

January 6th

7:30 am

"Wake up, douchebag!" Thalia screams through my door, and I jump, my eyes flying wide open. I glance at the clock and start to scramble. I was going to be late. I throw on some jeans, nearly falling over as I do, and pull on my favorite purple t-shirt. I glance out the window at the fog and clouds and decide to throw a hoodie over my shirt as well. I run in my socks to my door, swing it open, and nearly stumble down the stairs. Thalia's running around the kitchen in her heavy combat boots, slinging on her leather jacket as she stuffs a granola bar into her mouth.

"Just grab something!" she informs me as she brushes down her jagged black hair. Her makeup is slightly smudged. I grab an apple and a granola bar and sprint to the front door. I pull on my converse, tie them quickly, grab my backpack, and run out the door after Thalia. My backpack thumps against my back with every step I take, and the wind whips through my hair. I can see the bus pulling up to the bus stop and run faster. When I arrive, I hop on just behind Thalia and plop down in a seat next to Leo, who's listening to music. He fist-bumps me and shoves his earphones into his backpack when I sit down.

I catch my breath and turn to Leo, one thing on my mind.

"Battle of the Bands," I say simply. I can hear the dread in my voice.

"Tomorrow," Leo says quietly. I can see him twiddling his thumbs. "Dude, we got this. The girls are going down." He sounds like he's just reassuring himself. I sigh.

"They're doing that Paramore song," I tell Leo, and he turns to me.

"Which one?" he asks, tapping his foot loudly. "The one they're really good at?" I nod in reply. "Crap." He runs a hand nervously through his curly hair.

"Yeah, they're super good. They've gotten way better, too," I tell him, and he yawns.

"Well, that's not good. Better tell Percy and Frank— I'm pretty sure Percy thinks that he has this one easy." I nod and sit back, staring out the window. I was nervous, but most of my nerves were masked by excitement.

Today I would get to see Piper. It had been too long— two weeks, to be exact. I felt like a clingy boyfriend, but I didn't really care.

"What time is the Battle?" Leo pipes up after a few moments. I turn to him, running a hand through my tousled blond hair.

"It starts at 4:30, and it goes until 9:00." Leo whistles, staring out the window.

"Crap. That's a long time." I nod and glance out at the cloudy sky.

"Yeah, I know, but it's not just our school's groups that are competing. It turns out that local bands are invited, too." I had learned this just this past week when I hung out at my friend Dean's house. He was a bass guitar player for his own band that was competing.

"Dang," Leo whistles, both of his feet tapping now. "How many bands would there be, then?"

"I don't know. Maybe around twenty," I reply, feeling slightly more nervous.

"Jeez. Alright. You really need to tell Percy and Frank, then. I don't know how good these other bands are and what they're capable of!" Leo sounds like some sort of army general, which draws a smile from me.

"We're good, Leo. I think we're probably one of the best bands there are!" I reassure him. He doesn't seem convinced. I'm not totally convinced, either.

…

"Hey." My head whips up from my script as I spin around in my Drama seat. My eyes finally rest on Piper, who's smiling at me. Her hair is tied up in a messy ponytail, and she's wearing beaten converse, ripped jeans, and a black Green Day t-shirt that fits her perfectly. I feel myself beginning to blush.

"Hi," I reply, ducking my head a little. She smiles, her kaleidoscope eyes twinkling.

"The Battle is tomorrow," she tells me quietly. I nod.

"Yeah. Good luck," I tell her. She smiles again, which makes my insides turn over.

"Thanks. You, too." She brushes a strand of flyaway hair away from her face. "We can practice, you know," she says suddenly. I feel my chest tighten. "For the play. Like you wanted."

"Oh," is all I can manage to say in reply. My heart is thudding so loudly, I'm surprised she can't hear it. "Yeah, okay. Cool." I try to remain calm.

"I'll see you at the Battle after school, then," Piper tells me.

"Yeah. See you there," I reply, and I try to shoot her what I think is a dazzling smile. She smiles back shyly, flashing her perfect white teeth, and then turns back to her script. I feel dizzy. So, the studying was… What? A date? Of course not. Don't be stupid, Jason. But when would it happen? What would I say? It was nearly a dream come true, but I was getting nervous. She was so perfect, and I was barely that.

…

"Guys, this is our last chance to prepare," Percy announces. It's 3:45, and we've run through everything we can with our song. It sounds close to perfect, which is a relief.

"We shouldn't tire ourselves out, though," Frank notes quietly. Percy nods at him.

"We should get dressed in our spunky outfits, though, man," Leo announces, brushing back some of his curly hair.

"Yeah, you're filthy," I laugh, looking at Leo's dirty hands and stained clothing.

"Shut up," he laughs in reply. Percy fits the microphone back into its stand and runs a hand through his tousled black hair.

"Yeah, let's go get changed. Thank Frank for contacting Silena to arrange our outfits," Percy says, and Leo shudders.

"What? Silena arranged our outfits? I'm going to look like Frank Sinatra," he moans, slapping a hand to his forehead. Percy scowls at him.

"Then you're going to be a very classy drums player. I'm _not_ letting you perform like that," Percy orders, and I raise an eyebrow.

"Since when did you become Mr. Sass?" I ask, stifling a laugh. Percy snorts.

"Since I learned that some of the points are given by the judges for appearance of your band," he shoots back at me. I roll my eyes, and I can see Frank and Leo doing the same.

"Fine," Leo gives in, and Percy claps his hands.

"The clothes are on the couch in Jason's living room." We all pile into the house, slightly eager to see what we would be wearing. Our outfits are stacked in one corner of my couch, each wrapped in plastic. I can't tell what my outfit is, but I grab it and walk off to the bathroom to go change.

Once inside the bathroom, I unwrap the outfit from the plastic and hold it up. Silena's picked out a pair of dark gray/black jeans, a purple t-shirt that looks nicer than mine, and a snappy gray dress jacket. I pull out a small scrap of paper at the bottom. On it, scrawled in neat cursive, reads, "Converse." I smile and tuck the slip of paper away. I pull on my outfit and check myself out in the bathroom mirror. The t-shirt fits me perfectly, and the pants are perfectly ironed. I comb back my hair and exit the bathroom.

Percy stands in the living room, laughing and ruffling his hair. He's wearing a collared, sea-green long-sleeved dress shirt and khakis, his Vans' laces untied. He laughs, his rumpled hair contrasting with his ironed clothes.

"I look like an Abercrombie model," he smiles, and I snort.

"Same, dude," I tell him. He pulls at his collared shirt, shuffling his feet a little.

"I should probably tie these," he says with a smile, and I nod.

"Unless you want to trip in the middle of the song, I would," I tell him, attempting to flatten the front of my shirt. I wonder what Piper would think when she saw me.

"Oh, God." The sound of Frank's shocked voice echoes across the living room. We turn to face the stunned boy, who's currently inspecting the front of his shirt. He's wearing a light purple long-sleeved, collared dress shirt, black jeans, and clean black converse. His short, dark hair is combed neatly and the front is spiked up cleanly. "I look like—!"

"An Abercrombie model?" Percy finishes, and Frank looks up with a nod.

"I've never felt so much like a Ken doll in my entire life," Frank says quietly, and Percy laughs silently. I feel a smile growing on my face.

"I've never seen you look so much like a Ken doll, either," I say, and Frank glares at me. Percy chuckles, and I hear a door open and close. Footsteps approach the living room, and Leo pokes his head out from the other side of the kitchen.

"HOT STUFF ON THE LOOSE," he announces loudly with a wink, slinking out from behind the wall. He's wearing black jeans, a white, long-sleeved dress shirt, and suspenders. His black dress shoes shine in the light of the living room. His curly brown hair is combed back a little, the top still a little rumpled. "Wait until the ladies see me tonight!" He spins in a circle and winks at us, pointing both of his hands at Percy.

"You look snappy," Percy snorts.

"Nice suspenders," I comment, pointing to the pair. Leo winks.

"I know, right? Silena has awesome taste." His phone beeps suddenly, and he pulls it out. "My mom's out front," he announces, and we all exchange nervous looks. "Let's go pack our things into the car." Percy nods, and we make our way into the garage. I grab my guitar, my plug, and my little box of picks, capos, and tuners, and head out the garage door. The rest of the band follows closely behind.

Once everything is packed into the back of Leo's mom's minivan, we pile into the car.

"You boys excited?" she asks us, adjusting the baseball cap on her forehead. We all mutter, "Yeah." She chuckles and pulls the van away from the curb. "You all look snappy. Who organized the wardrobe change?"

"Silena," Leo answers. Leo's mom whistles.

"That really pretty girl with the long hair?" she asks, grinning at Leo. He glares back.

"Yeah. And she's dating Charles, if you're wondering." Leo's mom chuckles, and I suppress a snort. Leo rolls his eyes, his pointed ears glowing bright red. We continue to drive in silence, my nerves buzzing in my ears. After a few minutes, Regional High flashes into view, and the van slows down.

"That was fast," Percy mutters, and I can hear the nerves in his voice. Leo's mom smiles a little.

"Don't worry, Percy. You guy will do great." She flashes a bright smile at us as she pulls into the parking lot. "Sally will be here in a few. She had to work a little late. Frank, I'm picking your grandmother up next. I'll be back in time for the Battle! Have fun!" She pulls up at the curb of the high school, and we pile out. The sun's already starting to go down, and the air is already getting cold.

"You guys ready?" I ask, rubbing my arms through my dress jacket. I begin to open the door to the auditorium.

"Ready as we'll ever be," sighs Frank, pulling at the cuffs of his shirt. I swing open the door, and we step inside.

The theater is bathed in light, and tons of people are milling around in the audience. The bands are down by the stage, practicing their songs. There are a few on the stage, talking and laughing and rehearsing. I can hear Percy sigh next to me.

"That's a lot of people," he says, referring to the bands. I nod. Frank turns to look around, and then snaps back to us.

"I don't see the girls," he comments, flattening his hair. I swing around, feeling slightly disappointed that Piper's not in sight.

"They're probably practicing somewhere," Percy comments, and Leo nods.

"Yeah. We should rehearse." We all mutter our assent, and we lug our instruments towards the stage.

…

Three bands have performed. The theater is dark, the audience completely filled, and the judges have taken their places above the projector box. Up next is Piper's band, and I'm anxious to see them. Will Anthem, a senior at Jefferson, announces their introduction.

"And now, from Jefferson High School, please welcome Unwritten Landscape!" The lights go down, and I can just barely see the outlines of the girls onstage. There's a few squeaks of the amps, and a short squeal of quiet feedback. Someone taps the microphone, and there's a chord that's quickly strummed. Then, all is silent. The lights come up, and I almost fall off my chair.

Thalia stands off to the left, her face lifted confidently towards the raised audience. She's wearing bright red lipstick that contrasts rather shockingly with her bright blue eyes and a black crop top with a blue symbol painted on it. A short black leather jacket decorated with medals and chains hangs off of her shoulders, and her eyes are freshly lined with black eyeliner. Her hair is blow-dried into shaggy perfection, and her tight black jeans and Doc Martens flash in the stage lights. Her dozens of silver bracelets and large silver earrings jangle. I can hardly recognize my own sister.

Annabeth stands to the right of the stage. She's wearing a skin-tight light gray dress that makes her eyes pop, along with a mini black jacket, and a few silver necklaces. Her hair is shiny and curled, falling across her shoulders and down her back. Black boots rise to just below her knees. I hear a little gasp escape Percy, and I turn my head a little to see him blushing furiously. I stifle a chuckle and look back at the stage.

Hazel sits behind the drums, all dolled up in a collared purple dress and a mini black leather jacket. Small silver earring jangle behind her curly, highlighted hair. Her eyes are bright and excited. I imagine that Frank is blushing right now. I smile at the thought, and then my eyes find Piper. I can feel my jaw drop and hear my heart speeding up.

She's wearing a short, white strapless dress with a small, tan belt and wedge heels with white straps. A turquoise necklace hangs from her neck, and her dark hair is slightly curled, one portion braided into a headband that loops over her head. She's wearing light makeup, but looks absolutely stunning. I can feel my face growing hot.

"She's a knockout," I think, and I feel a punch on my right arm. I turn quickly to see that Percy is staring at me with one raised eyebrow. _Did I just say that out loud?_ Percy rolls his eyes and points to my mouth. I snap it shut and whip my head back to the stage as Hazel raises her arms above her head, tapping the drumsticks together three times. Thalia strikes a chord, and then the band launches into the song. Piper stands confidently in front; she's more striking than any girl I've ever seen, every celebrity known included. After a few measures, Piper leans into the microphone in her hand and opens her mouth.

"I'm in the business of misery; let's take it from the top," Piper begins. Her voice is loud and clear, and the music is flawless. Thalia nods her head a little, her floppy hair bouncing. Piper smiles at the audience. Hazel is completely focused on her drumming, and Annabeth grins up in our direction, her fingers sliding around the neck of the guitar. I feel my face growing hot as I watch Piper.

Once they've strummed the last chord, the audience erupts into cheers louder than the previous ones. I jump to my feet immediately, hollering and clapping furiously. They were absolutely amazing, and Piper was flawless. I watch her as she blushes furiously and hunches over as the lights fade out. The audience's applause fades out rather slowly as the next band comes onstage. Their announcement and performance is rather blurred from Unwritten Landscape's song. The girls find their seats in front of us, and they turn around, flushed and slightly sweaty.

"Oh, my God," Leo breathes, and Thalia raises an eyebrow at him. "You guys were really amazing." Hazel actually scoffs a little, and Leo straightens almost immediately. "I mean, I, uh—," he stammers. "You guys were okay." Piper snorts, and then turns around. I'm almost furious for blushing so much. I want to kiss her so badly.

"Good luck," she says rather quietly, and I'm almost stunned to find that she's talking to me.

"Oh!" I start, way too loudly. "Thanks, thanks. You guys were amazing." I sound breathless. Piper flushes and smiles a little.

"Thanks." She turns back around to watch the performing band. I bore a hole staring into the back of her head and feel my blush fade away. I needed lessons on suaveness.

…

It's our turn all too quickly. Nerves buzz uncontrollably in my stomach as I make my way to the stage. I hear Leo breathing quickly next to me, and it takes all of my concentration to not join him in his panic. I can hear my band members' footsteps echoing across the stage as the lights fade out and the previous band unplugs their amps and shuffles off. I find my guitar around my neck and plug it in, fumbling for the cord in the near darkness. I quickly strum a little to hear whether it's plugged in or not, and then I stand up straight, to the right of where Percy would be standing. I can hear a little rattle of the drums, and then a few muted taps coming from most likely Percy. I can hear one bass note being plucked, and then there's silence. The auditorium is thick with anxiety and nerves as the lights slowly come up. After what seems like years, Will Anthem introduces us.

"From Jefferson High School, we proudly introduce… Controlled Isolation!" There's a second of silence after Will's announcement, and I can hear Leo as he picks up his drumsticks from behind me. There's three taps, and then my mind narrows in on my goal. I'm here. I'm ready. We were going to win. Three taps, and I strike my first power chord. Though it only takes a second to fade out and for the next one to be plucked, I can hear its resonance and power drifting through the theater. I suddenly feel confident, and I smile up at the audience to where I think Piper is sitting. Frank begins his bass line, and then Percy begins to sing. I can't hear anything except for my guitar line, my solo, and my closing lines. It's all too smooth, and it ends all too quickly.

Before I know it, Leo has rattled out the finishing measures. I've strummed my last chord, and Frank has picked his last string. Percy has the mic down by his side, and he's beaming up at the audience, which is roaring back in reply. The sound is almost deafening. I can't help but grin as we're dismissed as the lights fade out and we all amble offstage.

"That…" begins Leo, but he fades out and doesn't continue. We don't have the energy to finish his sentence, either. Percy turns to me, his face thoroughly flushed and slightly red.

"I…" He doesn't finish his thought either. I nod to show him that I understand, and he looks down at his feet as we walk back up the rows to our seats. I can see him brush back his hair, letting out a large puff of air.

We finally get back to our seats. I feel a little sweaty from the bright, hot lights, and a little flustered, as well as triumphant. Piper and the rest of the girls are all turned around, waiting for us.

"You," starts Annabeth, shooting up from her seat to lean towards Percy, "were amazing." Before I can process anything, I'm staring at Annabeth and Percy kissing in front of me. I can feel a smile tugging at my lips, and I turn away, nearly laughing. After a few moments, Percy plops down next to me, now bright red from his kiss.

"Lover boy," I mutter, and Percy shakes his head as he stares blankly off into space.

"I am," he replies simply, reaching up to touch his lips. I snort. I can see Piper turning around in the corner of my vision, so I turn and smile at her. She's beaming, her eyes crinkled and sparkling.

"You were amazing!" She sounds like a little kid in awe. "Your solo was flawless, Jason." I can feel myself blushing ferociously and getting lost in her charm. I break our eye contact, sincerely worried that I would confess my love for no reason. A hand finds its way onto my arm, and I snap my head back. It's Piper's. Her touch sends electric jolts through my entire body, and I can feel my face getting even redder. "Don't be so modest, Jason. You were great." She smiles again, and, without thinking, I lift up my hand and place it over hers. She doesn't move her own hand until the new band starts up, and when it does, she snaps her fingers away like my own were sharks. I can see her blushing as she turns back around.

**Getting brave there, Jason! Review and tell me what you think! :D Next update coming soon!**


	11. The Winner is

Every band has finished. Nerves flutter in the warm theater air, and I can hear the chit-chat from the other audience members dying down. Leo's choked on his gum once when hearing a certain band, and he's now stretching it between his two hands. Frank sits hunched over, twiddling his thumbs. Percy keeps ruffling his hair, hints of blush still tinging his ears from when Annabeth kissed him. I sit with my legs as stiff as boards, my neck beginning to ache from my stark-straight position. Piper and Thalia are chattering furiously, and Annabeth and Hazel sit in a nervous silence. Finally, after a few minutes, the speakers buzz to life.

"Thank you to all of our band performances! Can we have a round of applause, please?" a voice booms. I clap my clammy hands along with the other audience members, still so nervous that my hands are shaking slightly. "And now… The winners." Hoots and whistles follow, and then the whole theater is hushed into silence. The lights down on the stage come up as Amy Dodds, Bruce Chiron, and another judge I don't recognize enter from the left clutching slips of paper. I snap my attention to the front, biting down hard on my lip.

"Hello, everyone!" cries out the unfamiliar judge, and there's a chorus of muddled greetings. "I'm Kelli, and I'm a senior at Goode High School!" I almost gasp with recognition. I can see Annabeth stiffening in front of me, and out of the corner of my eye, I can see Percy turning red with embarrassment.

"Hang on," I whisper to Percy. "Was that the older chick who, like, totally stalked you and asked you out?" Percy nods slowly, and I almost snort.

"Please don't bring it up ever again," Percy hisses back, and he motions at Annabeth, who's as red as a tomato. I nod with a small smile, and I sit back in my seat.

"I'll be announcing the third place band!" Kelli squeals with a grin. She seems way too perky. "Third place goes to…" She unfolds her slip of paper and leans back into a microphone stand with a huge smile. "Quintessence!" There's a load of cheering, as well as a chorus of screams and high-pitched shrieks. I can see a group of girls rising to our right, and they pound down the steps to the stage. Kelli turns to grab a rather large bronze-colored trophy, and one of the girls snatches it right out of Kelli's hands as she bounds onstage, her blond ponytail bouncing.

"I just— Thank you so much!" the girl gushes into the microphone. I can see Bruce staring at her, probably deciding whether or not it was worth it to tell her that there weren't supposed to be any acceptance speeches or whatever. "We worked so, so hard, and we're sooo good!" She bounds away from the microphone, clutching the trophy as if it were her newborn child. The girls surrounding her clamor to touch it in a flurry of sparky outfits and ponytails. A spatter of applause follows their exiting of the stage, and then Amy Dodds steps up to the microphone.

"Hi! I'm Amy, and I'm presenting the second place band!" Her mousy brown hair is pulled back into a tight bun, and her business suit is slightly crumpled. She unfolds the slip of paper in her hand rather slowly, her long, manicured fingers sliding on the surface. Percy holds his breath next to me, and I can see Piper crossing her fingers in front of me. "Second place goes to…" She reads the slip of paper and smiles up at the crowd. I can hear my heart beating in my chest rather loudly. "Controlled Isolation!" I clap and cheer, and then, after a split second, realize it's _our_ band. Holy crap.

"HAH!" Thalia is up on her feet, shoving her finger into Leo's chest. "NOT first place! Suckers!" Leo turns beet red, spluttering for words.

"You guys probably didn't even place!" he spits at her as he makes his way down the aisle. Thalia crosses her arms, shooting him a smoldering glare. We make our way down to the stage to retrieve our trophy. The lights blind me, ingraining spots in my vision as I climb back up to our seats. Frank clutches out trophy, staring down at it silently. Percy scowls at the ground as Bruce walks up to the microphone, introducing himself and the slip of paper.

"We didn't get first. What the _actual_ fuck? We were the best!" Percy stammers, shooting a look of disgust over at the trophy. I shrug. "What band could be better than—!"

"Unwritten Landscape!" Bruce shouts into the microphone, finishing a monologue I had missed, and the crowd goes wild. I can feel my jaw drop, and I can see Percy doing the same. Leo freezes in front of us in the middle of the aisle, and he spins around to us dangerously.

"FUCKING—!" He's interrupted by Thalia, who shoves him roughly out of the way. She's laughing her head off, not daring to keep eye contact with Leo. Annabeth follows behind her, and she kisses Percy on the cheek. I can see that his jaw is still slack, his face reddening every passing second. Frank smiles at Hazel, who blushes in reply, and they high-five each other. Piper is last, and she beams up at me.

"Congratulations," I stammer, and she pulls me into an embrace. It takes me a few moments to realize her lips are inches from my face.

"Thanks," she whispers, her breath fanning across my ear. "I'm sorry you didn't get first. Personally, I think you guys were better." Her kind words almost make me melt right on the spot. She wraps her hands around my neck and stands on her tiptoes until I can feel her lips peck my cheek. I feel her warmth long after she's gone. I can feel my jaw going slack again, my face reddening furiously. I reach up in awe to touch the spot on my cheek where she kissed me, my heart beating loudly.

"Oh, man," Percy cackles behind me, and I shuffle up the aisle with him. "Somebody at a loss for words?" I reply with a raspy jumble of incoherent syllables, and Percy snorts.

"You're such a lost case, Grace. She has you on a freaking leash." I don't say anything in reply.

**A/N: Short chapter, but the next is coming _very soon! _So, Piper kissed Jason (kinda)! Hope you liked it! Please review and tell me what you want to happen next! xx**


	12. Finally

**Piper P.O.V.**

Every dang time. Every _dang_ time.

"Excuse me, Mr. Wright, I don't think that's correct." It's Reyna. Of course it's Reyna.

"Oh, sorry, Piper. Reyna's right," Mr. Wright says, pushing his glasses further up his nose. He squints at the equation on the board. I can feel my face turning scarlet as the class whispers momentarily. I can see Reyna staring at me from the corner of my eye and I sigh, resting my head on my palm. What was her problem with me? We barely even talked until a few weeks ago. The class continues to drag on, Reyna's hand shooting up into the air every five seconds to counter my answers. I'm almost fed up… Almost want to rip the braid right off of her head—

The bell finally rings, and I nearly jump out of my seat to gather my binders. At least Algebra 2 is the last class of the day. As I walk out the door, Reyna bumps into me, one of her papers nearly slipping from her hands.

"Watch it, Beauty Queen," she says simply to me, and I frown. Beauty Queen?

I make my way to my locker, still a little flustered from Reyna's antics. Percy catches my eye about halfway to my locker. He shuffles through the crowd of students, slightly flushed-looking.

"Hey!" he nearly shouts, and I giggle and shush him.

"Why so loud?" I ask, searching for my locker in the sea of people. He smiles.

"I just asked Annabeth to the ball," he says rather dreamily. I roll my eyes and nudge his shoulder.

"About time!" I fumble for a binder as a senior rams into my arm. "You've had a crush on her since, like, third grade." Percy snorts.

"Even earlier," he says under his breath, and I roll my eyes with a smile.

"She's been waiting, you know," I inform him, reaching my locker. I begin to twist the lock, putting in my combination. Percy pales.

"What? For how long?"  
"The beginning of the year."

"What?! How was I supposed to know that? What?" His confused look momentarily disappears. His arm slips from the locker next to mine, and he straightens like he's been stuck with a pin. I glance at him and open my locker quickly, raising one eyebrow.

"You okay?" I ask, a little worried. I turn my head to see what he's staring at. I don't see anything.

"Nothing," he mutters. He's still glaring at something behind me.

"It's something," I reassure him, turning around again, my arm half-raised to put my Algebra 2 book back.

"Darren," he says quietly, "is eyeing you." I glance around a little more until I find a familiar pair of dark blue eyes. I can feel the breath leave me.

"Crap." I hurriedly shove my stuff back into my locker. "Do you think he'd ask me?"

"I don't think so, unless he wants his face punched in," Percy chuckles, and I smile, shoving the last binder into its place. "I mean, has anyone asked you? Anyone at all?" I grin at him, shoving some hair behind my neck.

"No one decent. Connor, Travis, Will, Josh, Eric, Derek—"

"What? That's, like, a billion!" Percy exclaims.

"I've kept track," I say with a smile, leaning into my locker a little. "It's not a billion. It's thirty." Percy nearly explodes.

"_Thirty?_" He bursts into sudden laughter. "And you've said no to all of them?"

"Well, sure. They didn't seem right."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Whatever you want it to mean." Percy raises his hands in exasperation.

"You, ma'am, are the most confusing girl I know. Besides Annabeth."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

…

Jane is late. Again. Although she's usually perfectly punctual, she has days when she can't be on time for anything. I pull my hoodie around my hips a little most and shiver. The clouds block out the sun, and there's a slight breeze. The side of the road is covered by a small stream of rain water making its way to the gutter. My ears perk up as I hear someone approaching behind me, and I turn. I'm relieved to see it's just Jason.

"Hey," he says. He's wearing black jeans and a blue shirt that makes his eyes pop. I self-consciously tug at my plain flannel and gray tank top. My jeans suddenly seem too raggedy, my shoes too scuffed.

"Hey," I reply. "What're you doing here?" He shrugs.

"Thalia's picking me up. She was sick today." I smile.

"Poor her. Tell her I hope she gets better soon."

"Sure." He smiles. There's a moment of silence as I watch his eyes. They dart around quickly, like lightning, and don't seem to quite land on my face. "Hey," he says suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?" I ask. His cheeks are flushed pink.

"So… Um." He looks up at the sky, reaching behind his neck nervously. "Would you… Uh… Like to maybe go to the… Ball with me?" He cringes a little. I can feel myself breaking out into a huge smile.

"Yeah!" I exclaim. "Yeah." I clear my throat. "Yep. Yeah, that'd be awesome. Thanks." He shrugs and smiles helplessly, clearly relieved.

"Cool. Thanks. Um." He points to somewhere behind me, and I turn to find Jane waiting in her stunningly red convertible.

"Okay, well… Bye." I smile at him, and he grins back. "We're still on for Saturday, correct? Rehearsals for the big show?"

"Of course!" he calls back as I jump into Jane's car. I smile to myself as we pull away from the curb.


End file.
